The Australian Christian Lobby (ACL) says it is disingenuous of Greens leader Nick McKim and Marriage Equality’s Rodney Croome to see the weekend’s upper house election results as showing majority support for same-sex marriage.

ACL’s Tasmanian Director Mark Brown says it’s presumptuous post election commentary for Mr McKim and Mr Croome to claim the public want to redefine marriage in the state after the weekend results because “a majority of voters across the three electorates voted in support of marriage equality candidates”.

“It’s nothing but spin to turn the weekend’s results, which were a disastrous result for same-sex marriage advocates because the three candidates elected don’t support same-sex marriage, into a ‘positive news story’,” he said.

“The facts are self-evident: candidates with a more conservative stance on social issues won comfortably in all three electorates. This is a clear message from the community to the upper house to reject another likely push to introduce same-sex marriage legislation later in the year,” he said.

“Furthermore, it is insulting to Tasmanians to suggest that marriage dominates people’s voting preferences. A range of issues including the economy, health services and the environment influence a person’s vote,” he said.

Mr Brown said the fact remained that candidates supporting radical social reform were not elected.

“Saturday’s election saw Liberal Vanessa Goodwin re-elected in Pembroke, independent Jim Wilkinson returned to his seat in Nelson, and Liberal Leonie Hiscutt elected in Montgomery,” he said.